Mountain lion roaming Santa Fe

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A mountain lion spotted near downtown Santa Fe Tuesday morning may be living in a residential area, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said while warning people to take precautions.

Game officers continued to hunt for the animal Tuesday afternoon in the area of Córdova Road and Don Gaspar Avenue and are hoping to tranquilize it, according to a statement from Game and Fish. Based on tracks in the area officers believe the big cat may have taken up residence somewhere in the area.

The area is roughly eight blocks south of the state capitol.

Wildlife biologists from Game and Fish sighted the lion at 9:45 a.m. about an hour after residents reported seeing the animal. The biologists pursued the lion, but it eluded them by going through back yards and traveling along walls.

Department officials warned residents to take precautions that include:

• Closely supervise children and not allow them to play outdoors during the hours before dusk to well after dawn.
• Keep pets indoors overnight.
• Secure food and garbage inside buildings.

The department described encounters between humans and mountain lions as relatively rare.

"Lions generally are attracted to communities for food," the department said in a statement. "They are most active from dusk to dawn although they sometimes travel and hunt in daylight. Lions prefer to eat deer; however, they also kill elk, small mammals, livestock and a variety of domestic animals such as dogs and cats."

Anyone seeing the mountain lion, also known as a cougar, can contact the Game and Fish dispatch center at (505) 827-9376. Sightings also can be reported during business hours Monday-Friday to department offices in Santa Fe at (505) 476-8000 and Albuquerque at (505) 222-4700.